Just a Little Extra Weight
by Goatis
Summary: Sakura needs help with her training, but Kakashi is late...Lee can help her out...even if he is loud and annoying...LeeSaku Oneshot


Just a Little Extra Weight

Sakura and Lee

One-shot

I had been training with the Godaime all morning on some new medical jutsu and had finally gotten the hang of it when a letter from Naruto had come in. We had both been excited and I practically squealed in delight as she opened it with a flourish.

It had been so long since we'd heard from him, it was terribly lonely around Konoha without his loud boisterous voice. It really sucked being the only member of team 7 that was stuck here in Konoha.

But when Tsunade began to read the letter out loud, I felt my heart drop. It described how much stronger he was getting, how much faster and how many new jutsu's he'd learned. I felt like I'd been slacking off by comparison to his description of getting up at four am and working out for several hours every morning to train his body before going and waking the sannen to continue his private lessons.

He described how he'd learned new jutsu and even made some more jutsu's of his own. That elicited a snort from Tsunade and a disparaging comment, "Probably another perverted technique to convince that frog hermit to teach him something new." I laughed, and agreed with her.

He ended the letter saying how much he missed Konoha and his friends, and then he mentioned a certain ramen stand he hoped to see sometime soon. It had already been a year since he'd left, and I wondered when he would be coming back.

After the letter was read though, Tsunade looked at me very seriously.

"You know it occurs to me that we've been neglecting an important part of your training, your studies in medicine are exemplary and even more advanced that Shizune when she was my apprentice. But we need to get you back into a physical training program, I'll ask Kakashi to help you with your taijutsu later today, why don't we finish up here and then you can go and meet him at training area 7?" She glanced back down at the half finished lesson for the day. "But not before you're done here." She pointed down at the scroll and walked away to talk quietly with Shizune as I went back to my training.

So that's how I ended up working by myself at the training grounds later that day. I had been waiting for Kakashi since three o'clock and now the sun was starting its decent toward the tree line, I wiped more sweat off my face, at least it would be cooler once the sun fully set. I thought as I finished a set of kicks to the padded post stuck in the ground in front of me, I was never particularly good at taijutsu. But if I was going to become a stronger kunoichi I needed to leave that weakness behind. I couldn't practice combat by myself really, I didn't know any routines, but I didn't want to waste my time so I'd begun working on my strength and stamina while I waited.

That was when I felt the presence behind me. The palm landed on my shoulder and I gathered the chakra into my palm and spun around shoving my palm into the chest of the man behind me.

A short yelp and a blur of green flew backwards and sprawled in the dirt. I gasped in horror as I realized that it was Rock, Lee.

"Lee!" I shouted running forward toward his dazed frame. "Are you alright? I didn't know it was you! You scared me!"

"That's okay…" Lee drawled as his eyes tried to focus on my face. "I am strong, I can take a few hits." He blinked rapidly finally able to force his eyes to work properly. "I am a lotus and I am in the youth of my bloom!" He shouted raising his fist up to punch the air as he grinned and sat up.

"I have no idea what you just said, Lee, but as long as your okay." I stood back up and went back to my training while Lee took his time standing up, no doubt watching me as I trained. And all this time I thought that he was soooo innocent, turns out he's a pervert too!

"You know Sakura-san, if you need a training partner I would be glad to lend you my help, we could beautifully build up our youthful bodies together!" He said in his usual enthusiastic manner, only now it sounded kind of perverted. Of course, he was a fifteen year old boy and no matter what spouted out of his mouth he had the hormones and thoughts of an average teenage boy.

"Kakashi-sensei should be here any minute." I said truthfully, he had said he'd be here several hours ago which meant that he could show up anytime now.

"Hai, but until he does I will help you with all the youth and skill I have!" He shouted once more going into Gai-sensei clone mode as I liked to call it. I'd talked to him once or twice without him spouting off that ridiculous non-sense and come to believe that his real personality was lurking beneath the surface, but that the imitation and flattering side overpowered his natural reserve. It wasn't like an alternate personality, it was more like he put up a wall and protected himself with his hero worshipping act.

"Suit yourself." I muttered as I spun and kicked the post once more. My legs were aching but I hadn't reached my goal so I kept going.

"Yosh! Good kick, Sakura-san!" He shouted from the sidelines giving me thumbs up. I just scowled and doubled my efforts to smash the post to a million tiny bits. I didn't understand why but for some reason today, Lee just seemed to be getting on my last nerves no matter how I tried to ignore him.

He was still doing his cheerleader routine when I finished my set and I figured I'd skip the next set and move on to push ups.

"You know Lee, it's a good thing that you came by about now. How would you like to help me out with something, 'special'?" I asked cocking an eyebrow at him suggestively. His face became a little red and he seemed a little flustered as he stammered that his 'youthful body' was more than happy to help me with my special training.

"Great!" I exclaimed clapping my hands and then getting into push up position. I grinned as I faced the ground my body poised on the pointer finger of each hand. 'This exercise ought to be enough to shut him up.' I thought before glancing up at his surprised face and speaking to him again. "Climb on my back I need some extra weight for this."

He just frowned at me. "But I thought you meant like sparring or something, Sakura-san."

"I just need some extra weight for when I do my push ups, I used to use a special set of weights on my back but I haven't been doing physical training recently with all my medical training going on so I forgot to bring them, you're actually a lot lighter than those weights. By a lot actually. But the added weight will help me with my chakra control, stamina, and natural muscle strength." I replied without moving, save fore the turn of my head so that I could look up at him. "If you don't want to-" I stopped when Lee climbed on my back and sat cross legged. 'Shit!' I thought to myself. 'He probably took that as a challenge, way to go dumb ass!'

"All right Lee, you should probably hold on to my shoulders so that you don't fall off in that position." I said, and pushed up away from the ground.

"Hai, Sakura-san. I can count for you too! How many do you want to do?" He asked, reminding me that he usually did workouts in sets of thousands. I paused for a moment to think about it.

"I could usually do about five hundred, but I'll be happy if I can do 250, but I don't usually go for a set number, I just work through each success until I meet failure. Then I know I've met my limit." I continued my push ups moving up and down with him on my back at a rapid pace, I felt kind of like I was babysitting and giving some kid a pony ride. That thought made me chuckle. Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, I counted out.

"Sakura-san, are you sure I'm not too heavy? I'm still wearing my weights, I can take them off if you like." I just shook my head continuing to count, not bothering to tell him that I could barely feel him on my back he was so light, even though he must have weighed several hundred pounds with his weights on…thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine…

"Gai-sensei is going to see his eternal rival Hatake Kakashi the copy ninja, your old sensei, tomorrow for a challenge, he said it's his turn to pick! It's always very interesting to watch, would you like to come Sakura-san?" Lee asked, but I just grunted as I counted higher…fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five…

"Great!" Lee shouted pumping his fist in the air and nearly falling off my back, apparently he took the grunt as a yes. "Gai-sensei said that they are going to meet at noon on the roof of the Hokage tower, would you like me to pick you up at eleven thirty and we can walk together?" I just grunted again trying to ignore him…seventy-six, seventy-seven, seventy-eight, seventy-nine…

"And perhaps afterwards we could go and get some ramen?" He asked a little more tentatively…I just shook my head this time in exasperation…ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven.

"Oh, I see." Lee sounded a little disappointed at that. "You probably have more training and will want to get right to it with your youthful excitement once you watch our sensei's exhilarating match of excellence! I don't blame you, who could not be moved to tears at the sight of Gai sensei's dynamic fighting style and obvious superiority! The display of their awesome ninja strength and ability that exceeds all those around them!" Lee shouted waving his arms around to keep himself from falling off again. One-twenty-one, one-twenty-two, one twenty-three…

"Of course your sensei is quite youthful and vigorous too! He is a truly worthy rival for Gai sensei…" I was starting to get a headache with all his shouting and jabbering on about our ex-teachers. One-forty-nine, one-fifty, one-fifty-one…

"I am always moved to tears whenever I see Gai sensei prevail against his eternal rival! And when he loses I always train with him during his self-imposed cool ninja punishment! We could train walking on our hands around the village a hundred times, or walk a tightrope while juggling banana's over a raging river! I'm sure you will feel the same if you're sensei wins the day!" One-seventy-eight, one-seventy-nine, one-eighty…

"Ano, Sakura-san?" Lee said a bit more hesitantly, coming out of his Gai-sensei clone mode. In fact he sounded kind of like Hinata trying to ask Naruto out on a date…but that couldn't be it because he'd already asked me about going for ramen.

"Hmm?" I said, trying to acknowledge this part of him, since I liked that side of him better than the raving Gai fanatic. One-ninety, one-ninety-one, one-ninety-two…

"I would be pleased if you would allow me to train with you tomorrow after the match, I could spar with you or help you with the extra weight again." I could practically see him poking his fingers together, like Hinata used to do when trying to get up the nerve to ask Naruto out. I just grinned at the mental image. Two hundred, two hundred and one, two hundred and two…

"Hmm…" I responded. Let him take that however he wanted.

"Yosh!" Lee shouted, and then lost his balance as I did a particularly fast push upward and fell off my back. "Itai…" He said rubbing his head from where he lay, his shins having banged himself in the forehead, those weights had to hurt.

"You alright, Lee?" I asked as he sat up, blood on his forehead.

"Oh!" I shot forward kneeling in front of him I formed the seals to push healing chakra into my fingertips. "Here lay your head down and I'll take care of that." I said laying his head back down, only in my lap so that I could see the wound easier and I placed my right hand on his forehead. I concentrated and allowed the green chakra to leak out of my fingertips and seep into the wound regenerating the tissue in the gash on his forehead. It wasn't a serious wound but all head wounds bleed a lot and this one was no exception.

"It looks like I still need more training, ne Sakura-san?" He looked up at me from my lap when I was done with a chagrined look on his face. I just grinned and pushed him off my lap.

"Well then you better get back over here so that I can finish my pushups." I said getting back into position and smirking at him. "And maybe you should make a point to hold on this time…" I said once again as he climbed back up and settled himself once more.

"Hold on, where was I?" I couldn't remember what number I was on.

"You were at two hundred and twenty seven when I fell off, Sakura-san." He said confidently from atop my back.

"Hmm." I said and began once more. How the heck could he keep count with all that blathering he'd been doing? But I just kept going with my workout.

"You know tomorrow if you wanted I could put on my lighter weights if I'm too heavy…"

"You're light as a basket of tomatoes Lee, if anything you should bring extra weights." I replied not bothering to let him finish his sentence. Two forty-five, two forty-six, two forty-seven…

"Uh, hai, Sakura-san." He said quietly before booming out. "Oh lovely Sakura you are as strong as you are beautiful, and as powerful as you are intelligent! Your unique ninja abilities continue to grow with each day as you walk the path of a true ninja! I shall have to work even harder to keep up with you!" I grunted again…two sixty-six, two sixty-seven, two sixty eight…

"So tomorrow when we train-"

"Shut up, Lee."

I said it harshly, I didn't yell it, but it wasn't quiet either. I'd had enough, my ears were ringing and my head ached just listening to his incessant babbling. He was so annoying…

I froze, that was almost the exact phrase that Sasuke-kun had said to me, and what I'd always said to Naruto.

"Lee, do you remember the day we first met?" I asked quietly, as he sat there silently

"Hai, Sakura-san." He said in a level tone of voice but didn't say anything else.

"I remember standing there in the hallway before the chuunin exam, in a daze, continuing to question why I was there. I'd spent days talking myself into it, telling myself that I was good enough to compete for the higher rank. And then you approached me, standing there in your strange green leotard, with your large fuzzy eyebrows and wide eyes." I took a deep breath, continuing my pushups, but I'd stopped counting by now. "And you asked me straight off the bat to be your girlfriend, and told me that you would protect me until death. It was more than a little flattering not to mention very strange. But still I turned you down, I told you no, I didn't even know you and I was big on first impressions back then so I never even gave you a chance, all I ever thought about was Sasuke-kun." I paused in my little speech for a few moments, he was probably confused and wondering why I was telling him this. "But I have grown up, if only a little in this last year. I know I'm no prize with this huge forehead and I've never seen anyone else with this unique shade of hair. I'm sure that most men run in the opposite direction just thinking about a future of pink haired little boys." I chuckled softly at the image of a pink haired little boy with wide dark eyes. "I'm terrible at taijutsu, it's the greatest weakness in my armor as a kunoichi. But I'm happy to say that I've grown out of that self-important phase of thinking that I'm better than others and basing a persons worth and skill on how they look and where they come from." I paused again thinking about what I wanted to say next, perhaps waiting for him to say something but he remained unusually silent. "I've also realized that I miss Naruto now that he's gone, I never thought I would miss that stupid loud mouth. But he's become like family, and now both my boys are gone and it feels like I've lost both my arms and am stumbling around off balance." I pushed harder and faster off the ground, not really comfortable with where the conversation I'd chosen was going. It was almost more irritating than listening to Lee blather on about youth, but only because it was my own fault this time.

"Lee? Why did you pick me? To be your love interest that day. Was there a reason?" I asked changing the subject as I suddenly felt the need to know why he had chosen me over his own teammate Tenten. She was prettier than me after all, and she was certainly a lot more talented with weapons and taijutsu.

He was silent for a while, either thinking about what to tell me or simply trying to remember. But when he finally spoke I was happy to hear his voice. It wasn't that fake overconfident Gai voice that covered over his insecurities but the deep gentle voice I liked to hear.

"When I saw you, I can honestly say that you were the prettiest girl I had ever seen, and now that you're older I think you're an even more beautiful woman." He paused swallowing and taking a breath, my face thankfully was the other way while I continued my pushups so that he couldn't see how red my face was right now. "But that's not why I said that. I don't know how to describe it really, except to say that I thought we were alike. I immediately felt that you were the hardworking type, like me and Naruto, someone who would succeed not by birthright but instead would seek to surpass those genius types with the hard work and effort that you put into your goal with your own determination. I felt like I'd met the other half of my soul, that you were the yin to my yang." He stopped speaking and sat there silently. I felt his hands on my shoulders shaking as he held on while I continued to work through our conversation. My heart went out to him and I felt a tear slip from my eye, I was beginning to think that I had been wrong to not give him a chance, but then again, if I had I might never have gotten to see through that mask he wore for everyone around him, and that's the part of him that I wanted to see the most.

"Arigato, Lee-san." I whispered and felt his hands squeeze my shoulders.


End file.
